Should Your Work Boss Also Be Your Weight Boss?

A new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reveals that certain job fields—law enforcement, firefighters, social workers, clergy, home health aides—have a higher prevalence of obesity than others. So does it make sense that the battle of the bulge has moved to the boardroom?

. The company enrolled 24 employees in a yearlong pilot program of exercise classes, nutrition coaching, and emotional counseling, all provided during paid work hours. By the end of the year, participants had lost 15 pounds on average.

Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, right, getting to lose weight while you work—no worrying about how to squeeze in a workout in the morning or an after-work yoga class. But do we really want our work bosses to start getting involved with our waistlines?

For corporations concerned with their health care costs, it makes total sense. "Getting obese employees to normal weight, or even overweight, would save employers an average of 9 percent of the money they spend on health care or lose in productivity due to employee sick time," Yale economist Tatiana Andreyeva told the Journal.

But when employees give employers leeway to talk about weight, what happens next? Do obese employees who opt out of weight-loss programs get penalized for their choices? What about folks who find it harder to shift their weight due to medical or pre-existing conditions? Are they ostracized in the office?

What do you think about companies getting involved with employee weight on the clock? Tell us what you think in the comments below.